Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network: Inspired by the popular 2010 movie, Bravo will begin filming a reality show based on Silicon Valley startups. Facebook.com: The Social Network Movie

July 11, 2012

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Reality TV isn't just for misbehaving housewives, tattooed chefs, and bachelors on the prowl. Silicon Valley techies are getting a shot at small-screen fame, too, as Bravo is shooting a reality series tentatively called Silicon Valley, produced by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi and inspired by the 2010 hit movie The Social Network. Randi Zuckerberg says the show will inspire more people to pursue the "entrepreneurial American dream" of launching a startup that becomes the digital era's next big thing. Startup entrepreneurs reportedly fear the show will make their industry a "laughingstock." The question is, are tech nerds really interesting enough to make people watch?

Trust me, people will tune in: Bravo's invasion of Silicon Valley is bound to be an "over-the-top view of startup land," says Victoria Barret at Forbes, and that's a good thing. "Silicon Valley is in a froth period," polluted by "too many startups with copy-cat ideas" getting funded and, yes, a lot of parties. Exposing the excess is sure to get people to tune in. If we're lucky, the silliness will remind everyone that this should always "be the place of big, audacious dreams.""Silicon Valley gets real, thanks Bravo"

Success or not, it's payback time for nosy tech titans: This being reality TV, it's a good bet that — "after injudicious, cynical editing" — the tech-world stars will look like "vacuous, venal vassals of contemporary self-centeredness," says Chris Matyszczyk at CNET. No wonder startup entrepreneurs don't want reality TV producers prying into their private lives. Funny, these are the same people "who claim to eschew evil while perhaps being fined $22.5 million for actively bypassing privacy settings." Isn't that a delicious irony?"Techies offended by Silicon Valley reality show"